Global Arts Alive hosted a show by renowned Violinist L. Shankar at the Berklee School of Music on Sunday, April 2, 2022. L.Shankar, renowned for his deeply soulful performances of Indian classical music, is a soloist who has also accompanied many of South India’s leading vocalists.  In the 1970s, he cofounded the innovative Indo-jazz group Shakti with John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, and Vikku Vinayakram. In the 1980s, he introduced a 10-string double violin capable of covering the whole range of the orchestra’s string section from violin to double bass. He was accompanied by tabla virtuoso Abhijit Banerjee and mridangam master Rohan Krishnamurthy, one of the leading voices in Indian classical and cross-genre music in the South Asian diaspora.

The concert featured some of Shankar’s well known composition, some traditional numbers and a new composition. They opened with Darlene, a song he wrote for his solo album “ Touch Me There “ in 1979 produced by Frank Zappa for Zappa Records. This was followed by Ananda Nadamidum Thillai Sankara in the Ragam Savithri. After a presentation of Ganapthiye, Shankar presented a Ragam Tanam Pallavi in the Ragam Abheri. This was followed by a new song he had special written during the pandemic bringing hope for the future. A brilliant drum duet followed and the concert came to a beautiful end with a Tamil Folk tune. 

It was indeed wonderful to listen to someone so original as L. Shankar. With his 10-String violin he can produce a delightful range of music that is truly grand. Table Maestro Abhijit Banerjee and Mridangam Maestro Rohan Krishnamurthy did great justice to the concert with their brilliant accompaniment. 

It was a special evening to cherish.